Cricketing legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is known for his calmness and keeping his thoughts to himself, has almost ruled out a move into TV commentary after he retired from the Indian Premier League. The legendary wicketkeeper batter has called the role a tough one, saying it involves constantly remembering statistics.
MS Dhoni on cricket commentary
The 44-year-old Dhoni captained India to three ICC titles but has stayed away from public cricket discussions since retiring from international cricket in 2020. These days, his only link to the game is the IPL, where he continues to turn out for Chennai Super Kings.
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"Commentary is very difficult. I feel there is a very fine line between describing the game and in that process getting into a zone where you start criticising individuals who are playing the game. It's a very thin line," Dhoni told sports broadcaster Jatin Sapru during a Youtube interaction.
"Often, you don't even feel that what you are doing is may be borderline wrong. You would always like to be on the other side where you are describing the game. If you feel something is wrong you say it out.
"But how to put it, that is also an art, how to politely put it forward where nobody feels targetted...If the team is losing there are reasons behind it, and you need to have the skill of describing those reasons without anybody feeling bad. That is the art of commentary," he said.
MS Dhoni's on doing commentary duties
Aside from the delicate nature of the job, Dhoni feels that not being able to memorise stats, even his own, puts him at a disadvantage.
"I'm not good with stats...but there are a lot of people who are very good with stats. They know stats...If you ask me about my stats, I'll be like hmmm and there are certain people who know stats about not just Indian cricket team or the Indian players but everyone throughout the era," he said.
MS Dhoni's last cricketing outing came in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he captained the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from the mid-season of the tournament after regular skipper forced to miss the marquee event due to elbow injury.
CSK's performance in IPL 2025
Notably, CSK had a disappointing campaign and finished at the bottom of the table, managing only four wins from 14 matches. Dhoni also went through a tough season with the bat, scoring 196 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 135.17. His highest score was an unbeaten 30.